My View: Take bold action and restore City Hall

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Journal Standard

Writer

Posted Nov. 30, 2013 at 9:00 PM

Posted Nov. 30, 2013 at 9:00 PM

Almost two years have passed since our city government left its original historic home. After Mayor Jim Gitz took office, he quickly took action to lay the groundwork for making a decision about the fate of our historic City Hall building.

Now that the most recent test results are in, there is renewed hope for saving this important historic asset. The soil boring tests in particular affirmed earlier assessments that the building is on firm ground.

As the final deliberation process unfolds, it is critical that the decision about the fate of City Hall be made within a “long-view” context. Taking a long-view perspective brings in other, perhaps more visionary, considerations into the mix as we determine where to house our future city government operations.

A full restoration of City Hall is the kind of bold action that not only says, “We’re open for business,” but also lays the foundation for our community to inspire the kind of preservation ethic that would encourage additional investment in our historic downtown. Further, restoring City Hall says our government believes in investing in our properties, and sets the right example for others to follow.

Lately Mayor Gitz has emphasized the importance of developing bike paths and other river-focused amenities, and he’s described them in economic development terms. This makes sense, and there are many examples of other communities who have effectively leveraged these kinds of recreation opportunities. A City Hall renovation project definitely follows that same logic.

When visitors come to Freeport to bike or paddle on the river, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could showcase an exciting renovation of our historic City Hall?

Renovating City Hall and returning government function to its original home is by no means the “magic bullet” for us to achieve our downtown economic development goals. However, just as we can point to communities who have capitalized on their natural assets, we can also point to countless examples for how historic preservation contributes to the uniqueness of a community.

A public investment of this caliber would be a “game changer” for Freeport. The question is: Are we up to the challenge and are we brave enough to do what it takes?

If you agree, please take the time to call your elected officials — they need to hear from their constituents as we make this important decision.